Join PPA’s Grassroots Action for Copyright Owners Across America

Members of the House Judiciary Committee are working to create legislation for a small claims copyright process. This process would enable artists to pursue copyright infringement cases in small claims court rather than having to go through the federal court system.

What are the current options?

Federal court is the only avenue available to pursue copyright infringement. According to PPA, the American Bar Association estimates that an infringement claim has to pay a minimum of $30,000 for it to be worth pursuing in federal court, and most attorneys won’t even consider taking on a case for anything less!

What is the plan?

A draft bill is in progress, so specific details are not yet publicly available. The goal is to create a simple and cost-effective process—perhaps an administrative procedure carried out in district courts—that won’t impose a heavy burden on taxpayers.

It’s time to take action!

PPA is calling on ALL artists and their friends and family members to support this new legislation on a grassroots level. Introduction of the final bill could take place within 2-3 weeks, so it’s important to contact your representative today and encourage them to back the upcoming proposal.

PPA will send you the latest updates from Capitol Hill, and they provide a simple platform to easily write/phone your representative, including sample language and talking points:

Describe yourself and your business Do you own or work for a small business? Describe key components of that business. How long has the business existed? Do you employ anyone? How many employees are there? How has copyright infringement harmed your livelihood? Over a given time period (5 years, 10 years, your career, etc.), how many copyright infringements have you dealt with? Over the same time period, how much money do you estimate you have lost from copyright infringement? Describe your difficulty in recovering damages for these infringements.

We urge you to become part of the Grassroots Action Team to help create positive change benefitting photographers and other artists!

There are 2 comments on this post…

I’m a freelance photographer and cinematographer based in Australia. Australia has its own recourse system for copyright law, but anyone who thinks they need look no further than their own nation with regard to copyright infringement and protection, they are sorely mistaken. I’m half a planet away from the U.S. but this issue still affects me, as it does most photographers around the world. The more we can do to make recourse of copyright infringement available and worthwhile, the better off all content creators, content buyers and content users will be. The small claims legislation has my support.

Thank you Dan for taking such a strong stand and notifying photographers of this issue and the need to stand up strongly for their own copywrite rights. It takes a real pro to know and understand the real issues professional photographers face with their photos/images being used with their knowledge and permission and then to offer the help needed to get the proper laws or legislation passed.